Cooking Tips

Don't Let Those Food Expiration Dates Scare You

True or False?В  Test your knowledge, and then read on for the correct answers and explanations. 1. Most food-borne illness is not caused by eating food that is рЂЗold.рЂЭ 2. Bacteria generally donрЂ™t grow (or grow very slowly)В  on refrigerated foods. 3. Bacteria that make food taste, look, or smell bad are not likely to make you sick. 4. Bacteria donрЂ™t multiply in frozen food, but they donрЂ™tВ die off either. GuessВ what?В  All the statements above are true.В  For explanations, read on. рЂЗUse by,рЂЭ рЂЗbest byрЂЭ and рЂЗsellВ byрЂЭ dates (commonly referred to as expiration dates) are supposed to help consumers make good decisions about what foods to purchase, consume, andВ discard.В В But many folks find them more confusing than helpful.В  Moreover, these dates create anxiety, causing consumers to throw out a lot of perfectly good food.В В  Fearing food poisoning, many consumers follow this familiar advice: рЂЗWhen in doubt, throw it out.рЂЭ ThatрЂ™s the most worry-free solution, but it certainly isnрЂ™t the thriftiest. Before you toss a recently expired unopened food, consider these facts: В  *Most food-borne illness is NOTВ caused byВ food that is past its expiration date; it is caused by some sort of mishandling of food. If food is properly handled--cookedВ to a high enough temperature orВ kept at the correct cold temperature, washed thoroughly (if produce or poultry), prepared properly with clean hands,В and not brought into contact with raw products after it is cooked--it will probably be safe to eat.В  *Food product dating is about quality, NOT safety. "Best if used by" means exactly that. В It"s the last date the item will be at its peak quality in terms of taste, texture, color, scent and/or nutritional value, according to its manufacturer. "Use by" is not a warning of impending doom if the product is not banished to the garbage can immediately.В В  *Foods that are refrigerated at 40ВТF or less are not likely to make you sick because most pathogens donрЂ™t grow at refrigerator temperatures,В or theyВ grow very slowly. One exception is listeria, which is a problem for people withВ somewhat compromised immune function such as children, the elderly, people undergoing chemotherapy treatments, and pregnant women. *Spoilage bacteriaВ (the ones that make food taste bad and/or become slimy, discolored, and off-odored) are not the kind that make you sick.В  Their growth precedes the growth of bacteria that cause illness because spoilage bacteria grow faster. Therefore,В youрЂ™re likely to discard a food before it becomes dangerous to consume. *To some extent, you can trust your senses.В  IfВ a product looks, smells, and feels okay (isnрЂ™t slimy), it is probably safe to eat forВ 4-7 daysВ after the expiration date, though itВ  may not be quite as good as before it рЂЗexpired.рЂЭ рЂЧВ Warnings:В  В  1) Check for mold, whichВ canВ grow in the refrigerator and can cause illness.В Most molds do not produce dangerous toxins, but you canрЂ™t tell by looking at them whether or not they do.В  Therefore, if you see mold on a product, the safest response is to throw it out no matter what the expiration date is.В В Pathogenic organisms that cause infections donрЂ™t have to be present in large numbers to make you sick. В  2) В Expiration dates refer to UNOPENED products. В Once you open a food, that date becomes meaningless. В How long will an edible item be good once it"s opened? В To find the answer, check our site"s tables and FAQs on specific products. В ShelfLifeAdvice.com has information on hundreds ofВ edible items. If the food you"re wondering about is not one we"ve covered, you can check the manufacturer"s website or call the manufacturer. В Many companies have customer service recorded messages, and some have live personnel answering consumer questions about the shelf life of their product(s). В  В  For additional information about product dating and safety, use the links to the following FAQs: FAQs about Bacteria FAQs about Product Dating В  Sources: http://shelflifeadvice.com Susan Brewer, Ph.D. В University of Illinois, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

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